Wrapping Up

More than six years ago, the School of Medicine kicked off its Campaign Emory fund-raising goal of $500 million, so I wanted to give you an update as we enter the final stretch of the campaign, which ends in December.

We beat our goal by $36 million. We have many great supporters, and the end of a capital campaign is a good time to thank all of our donors, especially you, our alumni. You are among our 32,000 donors—also including parents, patients, friends, faculty, staff, foundations, and corporations—who have helped us continue our work. Over the past 16 years that I’ve served as dean, your involvement has helped bring about incredible changes for the medical school—growth in faculty, research accomplishments, and square feet that would have been impossible without your help.

In particular, I’d like to recognize Ada Lee Correll, who chairs the School of Medicine campaign, for her leadership and tireless dedication. Her husband, Pete, stepped down from the campaign to lead a task force to save Grady Hospital during its darkest days. Over the years, the Corrells have supported many faculty members and student scholarships. They both have given much time and financial support, and on behalf of the medical school, I’d like to thank them both.

Our faculty and staff also have answered the call. More than 1,400 of them have raised more than $2.1 million for the medical school. A special thanks goes to Andrew Smith, the Baghat/Smith Chair of Heart Failure Therapy and chair of the SOM internal campaign.

He carried the torch for this effort, and as a result, we increased our participation rate from 22% to 28%.

As I announced in our last issue, I will step down as dean Aug. 31. It has been my pleasure to get to know many of you. Our alumni have always been one of the cornerstones of the medical school. There is always a need for your involvement in continuing to ensure the success of the next generation of doctors. I hope to see many of you again in the near future.